Which was a damn shame, because now that he was near her again, the memories of that night were as sharp as a master chef’s favorite knife. That ridiculously short and far too thin robe she was wearing certainly didn’t help matters, either. He kept catching himself trying to get a glimpse down the front. What was she wearing under there?
Sofia lifted her chin. “Fine. Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
She was not acting as though she were relieved. In fact, he still sensed disappointment. She, understandably, despised him.
But did she also want more from him? Now that was enticing, not that he could do anything about it. He was part of Oliver’s brethren now and had to play by the leader’s rules.
“I should go speak to Oliver.” Except it was late morning on a Sunday, which meant the cemetery would be teeming with humans, courtesy of popular haunted tours. Griffin found it amusing that humans paid other humans to take them to allegedly haunted places in hopes of seeing ghosts or other supernatural creatures, when all they had to do was look around with a keen eye as they wandered the streets or entered an establishment. New Orleans was full of dragons and gargoyles and witches, among a dozen other beings, and humans were entirely unaware.
“But I need to wait until dusk, when the City of the Dead will be closed to the humans.”
Sofia nodded. “I need to call Mitch and see if someone can cover my shift.”
“Why?”
“I’m going with you.”
Griffin shook his head. He had no idea how this conversation with his new boss would go, so he’d much rather have it alone. “You don’t need to. I can—”
“If it involves my daughter, I expect to be privy to whatever plans are made on her behalf.” She shook her head. “Besides, I won’t be able to concentrate if I go into work, and I’ll probably spill another full tray of drinks.”
“I am truly sorry for that. I don’t know if your boss told you, but I left money to pay for the damages.”
“He told me.” Her voice had gone sharp. “And I told him to keep it all. I don’t want anything from you. Except for help determining Penelope’s training and protection. But that’s it.”
“Fair enough,” he said with a curt nod. Her words should not hurt, since he’d only just vowed to be nothing more than her and Penelope’s protector. And that would likely only be for another few hours.
As soon as they could speak to Oliver, he figured his new boss would assign a better, more experienced gargoyle to ensure their protection. Griffin was not yet prepared to be held responsible for these two highly precious beings.
***
Sofia made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch, which Griffin learned was Penelope’s favorite meal. He had to admit, she had good taste. Or maybe Sofia was an excellent cook.
After Sofia brushed the snarls out of the little girl’s hair and watched to ensure she properly cleaned her teeth, and finally showered and dressed herself, Penelope asked to go to the park.
Sofia glanced at Griffin, a question in her eye. “Is it safe?”
He didn’t know, of course, since he’d only been back in the city for one full day and hadn’t even known of the danger to Penelope until this morning. But he hadn’t sensed any warlocks while he’d been out wandering the streets yesterday, and surely Oliver would have mentioned it if a coven of them had relocated here.
His boss had given him precious little information about this assignment, which he suspected was because it was a test, but he still had to believe the head gargoyle would not have knowingly allowed Penelope to be placed in the face of danger.
The reality was, Oliver had likely discovered the Daughter of Light was living in his city, and he knew she needed to be made aware of her legacy, to start her training soon, so that she could go in search of warlocks to destroy. Given Oliver’s crew’s reputation, it was highly unlikely that warlocks would settle here. They would not be able to wreak havoc in peace.
“It’s a nice day,” he said. “I don’t see why we can’t go to the park.”
And so they set out down the sidewalk. Little Penelope walked between them, holding hands with both of them and chattering about the playground and the “splash zone” at the park, which she explained was the perfect way to pass the time on a hot afternoon.
“That sounds like fun,” Griffin said. “Are adults not allowed to play as well?”
Penelope giggled. “You’re too big. You might hurt yourself.”
He glanced at Sofia and noted her lips twitching. Good. She was far too beautiful when she smiled not to do it as often as possible.
As soon as they reached their destination, Penelope rushed away, heading toward a cluster of playground equipment that was already occupied by dozens of other children, dragons and witches and humans alike. Griffin had a moment of panic when she released his hand and ran, and he almost chased after her but caught himself when he noted that Sofia was calmly watching her rush away.
“I admire you,” he said quietly while they stood side by side and watched Penelope scurry up onto a wooden platform and impatiently wait for her turn to speed down the slide.
“Why?” Sofia asked.
He nodded at the playground area. “I have only known her for a few hours and already I feel protective of her. I’m worried that she’ll injure herself or be put in danger.”
She lifted one shoulder, let it drop. “You don’t learn to
